[POV Yuna]

 

   "Everything is going to work out so well now~?" Mistress happily says just after she slices off another piece of skin. "I've gotten my little pet back, a descendant of that whore." (Slice)

"AAAHHHH!!!" I hoarsely scream as more skin is peeled from my thigh.

I'm chained to a wall by my wrists and ankles, posed like the Vitruvian Man, only my arms are a little higher up. I don't know long it's been since I was captured.

John must have knocked me out, I heard his voice and that was it. I woke up chained to the wall with a new Collar on. Mistress hasn't really said anything. She just seems to get off on hearing me scream. I have tried asking her what she wants of me, but she told me it wasn't time for that yet. If she would have just asked anything, I would have answered already, but she just smiles and sometimes thinks out loud. I can't really make heads or tails of it with my current mental state. I just want her to stop. I keep going in and out of it. Recent and long past memories haunting me. I awake from a nightmare to a living nightmare, over and over. Why is she doing this?

I'm gaining an appreciation for how effective torture must truly be. I don't even know where I am most of the time. The fresh pain pulls me back, then drives me away. I believe what she is doing, at the moment, is called flaying.

____

 

"Hmmm~" Mistress muses, finally pausing. She reaches out and traces the large scar on my chest. When she passes over my nipple she pinches and twists it, hard. "I think you are ready for the next step." I try and fail to suppress the chills that pass through me at her words. Then she walked over and opened the door. "Go get Luther for me, would you~?" Mistress has guards move me so that i'm chained laying on my back on a table. Not long after a man with short black hair, a handsome face and a large physique walked into the room.  

"Its not like you to share Kira." The man says eyeing my naked body. "Ughhh, you've really torn this one up." His face flashes a look of disgust.

"What? Not willing?" Mistress asks. "And I plan to share her with everyone, just like the whore she is named after. I'm sure she will enjoy it."

"Am I the first?" He asks undoing his belt and letting his pants drop.

"Who else would I let go first, brother?" Mistress asks.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

   In and out of consciousness. I've had a lot of time to think between the men and whatever torture mistress thinks up. I sleep very little. Every time I think of Faye my heart hurts. It doesn't make any sense. My heart should be gone, but the pain tells me that it has very much returned.

I've always fallen in love far too easily. It shattered my heart over and over again. My heart became a pile of  broken shards, but it still stayed together against the gale that is life.

I became even more guarded at that point. Not even letting anyone near me anymore. But there was always that hope. That maybe one day, I would find someone.

So I fixed my life. I became a functioning member of society. I was still isolating myself, but I thought I was making myself more "desirable". I wasn't a fuck up anymore. I worked harder then anyone else at my job. Doing things that no one else would do. Pushing my body to the limit.

It turned out I just scared everyone now. I rarely talked to anyone other then the friends I had made. They were like brothers to me. They knew more about me and my life then anyone ever had. They probably even knew more then I thought they knew. But women were afraid of me. Some would say I was attractive, but I was too closed off and unapproachable to new people and no one wanted to get to know me.

It broke me a little/lot. There is just no winning. But, I still had hope. Maybe one day someone will want to get to know me.

My life started to darken as the years went by. Until it was too dark, I could no longer see. 

Then suddenly there was a blazing light in the darkness and despair that was my life. I ran towards it with everything I had. Everything that was left. But the more I ran the further it got and the dimmer it became.

Finally, I caught up. To my despair and undoing, I discovered it wasn't a sun or even a light bulb. It was only a match, a match that had just burned out.

A match had been blinding to me. I had been alone for far too long. The broken shards of my heart took the last blow, shattering to dust and blowing away. The part of me that still burned with the desire to live, was gone. I no longer held anymore hope for the future. I don't blame her. Not at all. She was just a normal person that was curious. I'm just a mistake, is all. The part of me that always denied it, fought against it, had finally gone silent.

The abyss took its place. The gale of life could not affect it and I knew the darkness would never be lifted again. I was no longer sad or angry. I wasn't anything. I had no reason to see the next day. Nothing to work towards. Others may have been able to live alone, and find fulfillment through some means, but I could not. I was already dead. The living dead.

When I was young I had made a promise. That I would never take my own life. No matter how bad things got. I couldn't have predicted this though. To be dead, but unable to die. I couldn't live and I couldn't die. I had trapped myself.

So I made a new trap. One that could only lead to my death. 

Then I woke up here just to feel my heart breaking all over again. Even though I tried to not care for her like that. It still happened. Even though I tried to prepare myself, that she would leave. I felt myself hoping again.

I hate hope!

I hate it!!

It only ever brings me pain.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

  I'm currently in my spirit form sitting at the top of one of the castle's towers. My body is in some kind of torture chamber. I'm at the very limit of the distance my spirit can get from my body. Its a nice view. Unfortunately, I still feel what's happening to my body right now.

When her brother came I franticly begged them and tried to go berserk, pulling at the chains that held me. I tried to do anything I could, promising Mistress anything, everything. Nothing worked. I couldn't go berserk and the they only smiled at me. I tried to turn into a fox, but that didn't work either. He ran his hands up my legs and positioned himself between my legs, I fled. I activated the last spell I had and my spirit shot out of my body. But that wasn't enough and I kept running, going right through the door and as far as I could.

But like I said, I still felt what happened. Only its more of an out of body experience. Its the reason why I've been able to remain sane up till now. A part of me is able to escape what is happening. I suspect my inability to go berserk and turn into a fox has to do with the new Collar around my neck. I've tried activating Heal, but it fails as well. I think it interrupts my Mana or something like that, but my SMana is fine, I guess. I tried looking at my Mana veins, but I couldn't. Inventory won't activate either.

Whenever the men finish, I return to my body. Otherwise I run out of that SMana stuff and I can't run away when the next one comes. I made that mistake the first time. He used me every way I could be used. Maybe the rage burning in me is also sustaining me. Maybe i'm not sane and I'm just telling myself that. But I don't think I ever was sane anyway.

_

I can now tell how much time has gone by now since i'm able to go outside. It's been a week since the first man. John was wrong. I'm definitely not lucky.

The moons have all almost overlapped with each other. Faye told me its basically the different fazes of the moon here. It turns out that the "fourth" moon is just when they are all overlapped. What a beautiful night sky this world has.

_

I was terrified this would happen one day, but I still came back. I came back for Faye. If she's okay, then it doesn't matter what happens to me. I hope that guy gets her away from here. She seemed genuinely happy with him. She better not be trying to find me. There it is. The pain in my chest. I can't even stop myself from thinking about her.

____

 

I can't do anything in my spirit form. I don't really get what the point of it is. I tried freeing myself, but my hands just passed right through the manacles. I tried attacking the men, but I just pass right through them. I'm so very helpless right now.

I spend a lot of time here, looking out at the city. When i'm in my body Mistress is cutting pieces off of me. When she's done she shoves a Potion down my throat. It must be a better quality then the ones I had before because it restores all the skin she cut off and even mends my hymen. She is a sick women. If I got the chance, I wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

_

The current man has just started. I need to distract myself. Its currently late afternoon and cloudy. Looks like its going to rain soon. No sun for me.

"Hello darkness, my old friend~"
"I've come to talk with you again~"
"Because a vision softly creeping~"
"Left its seeds while I was sleeping~"
"And the vision that was planted in my brain~"
"Still remains~"
"Within the sound of silence~" though it isn't that quiet right now. I can hear some sort of ruckus from inside the castle, not to mention the grunts every time he thrusts. Its always a different man. Once it was John. Mistress told him it was a reward for finding me. He didn't even hesitate.

__

 

The man has finished, but Mistress hasn't showed up to cut into me yet. I'm wandering the halls trying to find out what all the commotion is about.

I would admit that the artwork and design of this castle were beautiful if I didn't want to see it burn. I hate this place and every single person in it at this point.

_

 

Hmm.. I 've found the source. Its the tacky throne room of all places.

"What would you be implying, Ezral." A man standing to the side of the throne said.

"That you're lying." Responds a little boy standing in front of a women wearing a cloak and next to her is a... man? idk. The boy's wearing a little wizard robe, haha. We have a wittle Harry Potter here. He's so cute.

"Preposterous!" The man shouts, clearly outraged by the suggestion. The man on the throne doesn't react to anything being said. He looks very similar to the statue that was in the fountain, where I was with Faye. (Sigh) I shouldn't have thought about her. One moment I was having fun with her, the next she was kissing some guy. 'It doesn't matter anymore, just stop it.'

"There are some people you can't lie to, you should learn that Victor." Ezral says. "You know something about her." The women in the cloak behind him seems very agitated. She is starting to fidget.

"We don't have to answer you, boy. Keep to your own devices and stay out of ours." Another women standing beside Victor says. 'This is why people are running all over the castle?'

"Normally that would be fine, but whe-" Ezral begins.

"Come on, wake up~." Mistress has arrived again. I cancel the spell and i'm whisked away to my body. Its feels very similar to the teleportation in the dungeon. Despite my curiosity in what is happening here, in the end, it doesn't really matter. I can't take being in my body while i'm being raped.

I wonder how long I will stay lucid this time. When I return, Mistress is already pouring a potion into my mouth. 'Huh? She hasn't even tortured me yet..' I must have made a face in my confusion because she answers my question.

"I don't want you to become all loose now do I? You need to be tight for the men." I guess it restores a lot more then just my hymen then. Such a very sick women. I haven't spoken to her since the first man.

"I have been called elsewhere at the moment, but don't worry~. We will still have our fun when I get back~." He said patting my head. Then she headed off. There's nothing to do in here. I'm all alone in this room. The smell is especially bad. Though right now I can smell Faye. Why? Why is my mind doing this to me? I sometimes feel her. I remember that kiss.. I remember the lame shit I said to that thing with the red eyes. I need to stop.

Mistress leaving kind of ruins my plans. I was going to try and get her to accidently slice into one of my arteries or something that could potentially kill me. I guess I can wait. Maybe i'll just follow her around for now. I haven't done so before because I can't stand to be near her.

__

 

"Bye, bye miss American pie~." I find myself singing alot this past week. It helps pull me away, distract me. Most of the time. And no one can hear me anyway. I can sing as loudly and as badly as I want to. 

Mistress is, oddly enough, headed straight for the throne room. 'Guess I'll see more of what's happening.' There are more guards posted then usual. I even recognize a few as my rapists. The one that actually just finished raping me is among a group that breaks ranks and walks alongside Mistress. I want to strangle the life out of him.

(Boom) Mistress shoves the door to the throne room open, causing it to slam into the wall, Interrupting the conversation taking place inside. Or maybe it would be better to call it an argument. I'm just humming American pie. Its quite a long song. And god knows I don't remember all the lyrics.

"Ahh, Princess Kira what brings y-" The Victor guy starts to say, but when Mistress passes the boy and his group, the cloaked women steps forward grabbing Mistress's hand and starts sniffing at it. 

"You smell of her!" The women yells in a rage. I stop humming and start paying more attention. The guards pounce on the women pulling her away from Mistress.

"Wait!" Ezral shouts in a panic, whether its at the guards or the women is unclear, maybe its at both of them. The women latches onto one of the guards that grabs her.

"You!? Y-You've desecrated h-her body!?!" She screams after smelling him. "Nichol!!!"

Ughhhh, i'm going to be sick. 'Can spirits puke? Did he fuck a corpse before or after he raped me?' These people are so disgusting. Royalty is as fucked up in this world as they were in mine. Didn't one bathe in the blood of little girls or something?

"Yuna…." I hear someone whisper my name. 'Huh?' I look around, but I don't see anyone looking at me. I'm hearing her again aren't I? I can feel someone touching my body...  Mistress sent someone else to rape me while she's busy. She would do that. I need to distract myself again.

I head back to the tower as the words being screamed around me become unintelligible. I feel a little sorry for these people. They are completely surrounded, they should just leave before they are killed too.

__

 

"Come up to meet you~" 
"Tell you I'm sorry~"
"You don't know how lovely you are~" 
"I had to find you...~"
"Tell you I need you~"
"Tell you I set you apart~" Uhhhhh… Why did this song come to me? It hurts. I'm thinking about Faye aren't I. You stupid sappy idiot. Let it go.

The rain isn't helping. I swear I can smell her....

I hate you, my heart. (sniff) I hate you so much.

 

I'm so very tired...

 

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[POV Faye]

 

   I had to make some promises to my brother to get him to go back and look for her. I don't plan on keeping them. They are absurd. He's been gone for six days. Six Days! What is he doing??! Making it 8 days and one night since Yuna went missing. I've gotten sleep, but only because i've collapsed from exhaustion. Amicia and the others are still here. They have there own things to take care of. I haven't pried. I'm just thankful she put up with me yelling at her and is paying for the room. I would ask why, but she would just lie to me. I haven't been able to eat anything. My anxious energy is driving me mad. Amicia and Ivaldri won't let me leave the inn to continue searching the city. I"m going crazy with worry.

I've just woken up from a brief sleep to someone knocking on my door. I get up and open it. It's Gabriel. His expression puts my heart in my throat. I step aside and he comes in. 'Please'

"Did you find her?" I ask. Hoping he did, but also hoping he didn't. He doesn't answer and goes to the bed and sits down, then he pats the bed next to him. I don't move. He sighs heavily.

"She's dead." He says flatly. I don't believe him. 'She has to be alive.'

"Tell me the truth, brother." I demand.

"That is the truth Faye. She was caught by the guard and killed the next day. She has been dead for seven days." he says looking me in the eyes. Now I know he's lying.

"Mistress would not kill Yuna until she was done with her. I know she isn't dead, just tell me where she is." just say it. 'As long as she is alive.'

"Damnit Faye! She's as good as dead!" He explodes "You can't save her. It's time to leave. We've been here to long. I've humored you enough. I've taken the time and prepared a way out of the city for us." 'Is that why he took so long!?'

"Did you see her?" I ask, ignoring his tantrum and my anger at his delay.

"Don't ask me that, Faye. You don't want to know." 'Yes I do. I need to know.'

"If you got to see her, then you were able to get to her." I say. "And if you were able to get to her, then you can get me to her." I conclude. 

"What good would that do? I can't stay in the shadows forever Faye. And the more things i'm hiding, the less time I have. We wouldn't make it out of the castle let alone the city. Just drop this. I know you care about her, but I o-" 

"Stop!" I interrupt his speech. "All you need to worry about is getting me to her. We will figure the rest out after that." I'm not leaving. I can't. I won't. Would she leave me?

"I will knock you out and carry you if I have to Faye." He said standing up. I backed away from him as another knock came to the door. I glare at my him.

"Come in." I say. The door opens and Amicia walks in with Ivaldri. As she closes the door I can see Novas and Thora in the hall.

"Welcome back. Did you learn anything?" Amicia address's my brother.

"He found her, but won't tell me anything." I answer in his stead. Crossing my arms and glare hard at him. Now I have allies here, maybe I can get some more answers out of him. Ivaldri goes over to the bed and sits next to my brother causing him to stand up and walk over to me.

"Lad, I think its about time you tell us what you have been doing for the Chrysos family." Ivaldri say in a low tone.

"And why should I?" Gabriel responds disdainfully.

"Gabriel!" I chastise. I speak to Ivaldri "Does that really matter right now? I think Yuna is far more important." Are they only here for their own objectives? Do they even care about Yuna?

"Of course Yuna is more important, Faye, its just-" Ivaldri starts to say.

"I killed for them and delivered secret missives. I have the Dark Elemental affinity. I can merge and move within the shadows." He suddenly answers. "Now, I need to be leaving with my sister." He said reaching out to me, but stopping before touching.

"You don't know your sister very well it seems." Amicia shakes her head. "You need to understand what Yuna means to her. If it was Faye in the castle, Yuna wouldn't even be standing here talking with us. Granted, she would surely fail and would be captured or killed. She would still try. Faye feels the same way, kid. But if that is not enough to move you, then i'll tell you what I believe. I believe Yuna is a member of the Royal family of Beast-kin."

"Huh? How could that be?" He said turning to look at me. I already knew she was. He would too if he saw her. Even if they are supposed to be long dead. But Yuna didn't seem to know anything about that. She didn't even know Yunalesca's name.

"She was a White Fox-kin." I say as an answer. He gasps at my pronouncement. 

"Was? Yes, she did change.." Amicia mutters. Then speaks to Gabriel again. "You know what that means right? You would have been a part of the Umber guard. You are a-"

"Enough!" Gabriel interrupts. "None of that matters. They betrayed our kind. Made us into what we are now. What I would have been and what I am are not the same. Faye, you owe them no loyalty." I owe her nothing? 

"She saved me." I say as I grab his hand and hold it in mine. "Even if she didn't know it, even if I didn't realize it at first. I had given up, brother. I had no hope for a future anymore. Then she was there." I tell him. "At first I just wanted to protect her. She seemed so innocent. I couldn't watch Mistress turn her into a puppet. But then as I talked to her, as I got to know her, I.." How can I make him understand? "She can be a little crude at times, but I don't think anyone can be as sweet. She lies about some things, but not in a malicious way. She just... Idk." (Sigh) "Yuna makes we want to live. She gives me hope for a future. A future with her." I'm aware that tears are starting to fall from my eye's. "I'm going to go to her, with or without your help." I said, letting go of his hand.

"You're not-!... Y-you're not going to like what you see, Faye." Gabriel says gently.

"Gabriel. What I want to see is her. Plus, I've seen more these passed years then you would ever want to know brother." I inform him. It takes him a minute before he realizes what I said.

"You're lying!!" He said grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. "They said you would be safe!" I grab his arms and hold them.

"I'm not lying! I don't know what they told you, I don't care. I know what has happened to me. You need to accept that." I say harshly. My brother let go of me. I could tell he was angry. He turned around and went to the window. He looked out of it for a good amount of time. I'm starting to get impatient. I can't wait for him to come to terms with this.

"Bring me to Yuna, Gabriel." I say finally.

"I.. don't think thats a good idea Faye" Amicia chimes in. I turn on her.

"I don't care!" I scream.

"Hold on now lass." Ivaldri says to me. "How much time does she have?" He asks my brother.

"Time?" My brother scoffs. "She's already gone. Her mind is already broken." No.

"I don't believe you!" I yell at him. He turned from the window to glance at me.

"You'll see. I'll take you to her. Then we are leaving." Then he added. "I will put her out of her misery if you wish."

"Don't even think about hurting her!!" I yell while stepping towards him.

"It wouldn't be hurting her." Gabriel says softly. "You can chose what to do when we get there."

"When?" I ask "When are you taking me to her?"

"Now." He answers walking towards the door. 'Thank you Neia.' I silently pray.

"Hold on! How will you get her out? Your going to need our help!" Amicia try's to get in my brothers way. He steps back and grabs my hand. I feel vertigo and my vision darkens. I hear Amicia curse, but then I feel myself being pulled along at speed down through the inn and out into the streets.

"Calm down. We will be there soon." Gabriel says. I look over and see the hazy shape of my brother.

"Is it okay to do this now?" I ask. I know it consumes alot of his mana.

"Its a dark day today. I'll need to rest when we get to her, but i'm sure you'll want to spend some time with her." He answered.

"Thank you Gabriel." I say.

"Don't thank me yet." He mutters.

"Its now or never. I haven't forgotten that you have left her here for days." I tell him. I suspect he found her soon after he left and spent the rest of his time securing an escape route out of the city. We continue through the streets and into the castle.

"How can we come in like this? Won't they detect us?" I ask.

"I still have a working Charm that will let us pass by the barrier." He replied as we sped through the halls and made our way down into the dungeons. There are guards gathering around the castle.

"Gabriel.." It feels like they know we are here. Even that they knew we were coming.

"I know." He says, pausing and watching a few soldiers walk down the hall. "I don't think its about us. They are moving away from the Cells and towards the Throne. Lets go." Then we headed off again.

Before long he stopped us in front of a door. I could hear grunting coming from the other side.

"Gabriel?" I question.

"Just... w-wait a minute." He responded after some hesitation. After a few minutes the door opened and a man came out walking past us and going down the hall. He didn't bother shutting the door. Yuna. What have they done.

Gabriel pulls me into the room and out of the shadows, closing the door behind us. 

"I told you." Gabriel whispers. 

Yuna is chained so that her legs are raised in the air and spread apart. She is laying on her back with her arms stretched out to her sides. Her finger and toe nails have been ripped out. Her tail... its been.. (retch, splash) I start to puke off to the side. That man just did this to her. She's actively bleeding everywhere. (heave)

"D-don't look at her." (gag) I command Gabriel. I hear him turn around. I was right next to the man and I just let him walk past me.

She's been torn apart. She has large patches of scars all over her body now. She is staring blankly up at the ceiling. There isn't any sign of life in her eyes. But.. she is talking, mumbling. "Take my arms that I might reach you... but my words like silent raindrops fell..."

"I told you she is broken." Gabriel says laying a hand on my shoulder. "Let me help her in the only way we can." I smack his hand from my shoulder. 

"You will not!" I hiss at him.

"You want to leave her here then? I told you I can't take all of us out. So we end her suffering or this will continue to happen." Gabriel insists. 

"Were taking her with u-" I started to argue, but he dragged me into the shadows. As I was about to lash out at him he spoke.

"Someone's coming." He said softly. A few minutes later Mistress came through the door. She walked up too Yuna and greeted her. She then poured a Potion into her mouth and yanked on her tail pulling it out of her. All the fur has been removed from it. Two emotions are colliding against each other inside of me. An all consuming anger at what has happened to her and a pain deep in my chest, a feeling of helplessness. I should have been here for her. All because I took my eyes off of her for only a moment. I don't know what to do. Is Gabriel right? Is the Yuna I knew already gone? Would it be better t-.

"Please..." Yuna whispers after Mistress leaves. "No.. more."

"See? She is asking for it to end." Gabriel says taking us out of the shadows. Oh yuna..

"Why can't I stop thinking about you Faye? Even now....." Yuna continues. I feel a sharp pain in my heart.

"Yuna!" I yell, perhaps too loudly. I see my brother jump, but I just run over to her. "I'm hear Yuna, I'm here." I say cupping her face in my hands. Please still be here with me.

"I'm even imagining you're here, that I can feel you." She whispers while looking in my eyes. I can see life in them again! "Damn you my heart, I hate you for this...." Then the light faded away.

"No Yuna! Don't go!" Then my brother pulled me back into the shadows. 

"Quiet! You can't be screaming like that!" He berates me. "I need to recover my mana so we can leave. I can't keep pulling us in and out like this." 

"Were taking her out of here!" I tell him "She isn't broken. Its not to late!"

"I can't make it out of here with all of us! I told you that." He insists.

"We will walk most of the way. All the guards are gone!" I tell him as he drops his spell. I go over to Yuna and try to take off her manacles. "Help me." I beseech. "Can you get a key for her Collar?"

"This..." He hesitates. I pause and turn to him. I look into his gray eyes. I can see he is struggling. 

"Help me and i'll keep my promise." I plead.

(Sigh) "Okay. I'll need a little time to get the key. Stay in here." Then he disappeared. I turned back to Yuna. I looked around and found the chain holding up her legs and lowered it. 

"I'm so sorry. Everything is going to be okay now." I started to clean her up. The more blood and filth I cleaned away the angrier I got and the pain in my chest deepened. "Please still be you." I beg. "Please be okay." I've finished cleaning her and wrapped her up in my cloak. She has been mumbling a little. 

"Tell you I'm sorry.. Had to find you... Tell you I need you.." She's starting to cry.

"Yuna i'm here! I need you too!" I cry out to her desperately and hold on to her. "I won't ever let you go again." I whisper.

I don't know how long I held onto her before Gabriel returned, but he gave me a key to her chains and I started freeing her.

"What about her Collar?" I ask him after the chains were off. He held out his hand and I took the key in it and removed the Collar. I then picked her up and held her tightly to me.

"Have you found a way out?" I ask Gabriel.

"There was fighting in the Throne room that has been progressing throughout the castle. Fires are breaking out. This is the best chance we will ever have to leave. Just follow behind me and do what I tell you to." 'Fighting? I'll ask later.'

"Okay." I responded. He then opened the door and we crept out passing door after door heading down the hall. I could hear some frantic screaming coming from behind one of the doors and I paused.

"No. We are not here to save everyone, only her." 'I...' I nod at him and follow after him. He's right. Yuna is all that matters. We head down several hallways before coming upon stairs. There is a dead guard at the bottom with his head cut off. We move past him and head up.

"I've already cleared most of the way. We need to move faster. From here on, always keep close to me." Gabriel instructs. 

We head off at a jog, pausing at each intersection and peeking around the corners. The hallways were starting to fill with smoke and we could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. We thankfully weren't headed that way and soon left the sound and smoke behind us. Who would be attacking the castle?